The corticosteroid prednisolone increases amygdala and insula reactivity to food approach signals in healthy young men

Short and long-term treatment with corticosteroids is widely used in clinical practice. Their chronic application not only elicits the well-documented positive responses on therapeutic targets but frequently induces features of iatrogenic Cushing syndrome. One of its main features is abdominally centered weight gain accompanied by features of the metabolic syndrome like hypertension and insulin resistance. These unwanted effects vary dependent on the dose and on the individual ’s sensitivity to glucocorticoids.
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research